The Bird Watching Film Festival is a monthly short film showcase based in Kansas City, Missouri, emphasizing films with strong ties to Kansas and Missouri, though it accepts submissions from everywhere. This event features free in-person screenings, audience voting, and filmmaker Q&As at the Bird Comedy Theater. Spinning off from this monthly event, the Bird Watching International Film Festival is an annual three-day festival dedicated to bringing indie shorts, documentaries, music videos, and feature films to the Kansas City area, with its next iteration scheduled for November 20-22, 2025. Both festivals aim to connect the Kansas City film scene and audiences with independent filmmakers.